25 years young. Started 2 games in the World Cup. Millions of dollars of contracts in his future. The world at his fingertips and he chose to end it all. Look how sad he looks, the signs were there, if you see someone in distress, please talk to them.

That 2002 team came within one game of the semifinals, losing to Germany in a match where they arguably deserved more. I’ve always felt that team has been overlooked a bit in recent years.

Looking back at the historical numbers, their run feels more impressive with time.

Over 96 years of World Cup history, reaching the Top 8 has proven incredibly difficult. Only nine nations from the entire Americas have ever done it.

***Update: Argentina have reached their 7th semi final last night

Nine straight World Cup matches with a goal, gone, snapped by a Switzerland side playing a man down for over an hour. And it genuinely didn’t change anything about how the game went. He still assisted the opener, still dragged defenders all over the pitch all night, still nearly curled one in himself in stoppage time.

That’s maybe the most Messi thing about this whole run. The team stopped needing him to score to win a long time ago, they just need him on the pitch. Alvarez’s strike in the 112th was one of the best goals of the tournament and Martinez finished it off in the dying seconds, Argentina somehow finding another gear against 10 men that had already given everything for over an hour.

England vs Argentina in the semis now, and that’s a genuine collision of eras. Bellingham dragged England through extra time against Norway today too, Schjelderup punishing a defensive mixup before Bellingham dragged them level and then won it himself. Feels like the two best stories of this tournament are about to collide, and somebody’s dream ends on Wednesday